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Meals on Wheels examining 14 possible locations

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Bagged lunches are being assembled for delivery to 200 homes in the South Hills.

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Meals are prepared to be delivered to more than 200 people in the South Hills.

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A board lets employees and volunteers know how many meals to prepare on any given day.

McMURRAY – Meals on Wheels of Peters Township, which learned last month it would lose its lease at the township fire hall after its current agreement expires in December 2017, has 14 potential relocation options, executive director Susan Hanawalt said.

“This is an important facility,” she said.

The 14 potential sites that she has looked at run the gamut from Muse Fire Department to Ferrieri’s Pizzeria in Houston. Meals on Wheels has shared space in the building with the fire department since 2008, when it relocated from St. David’s Episcopal Church in Venetia.

“Council has asked for more information on the 14 locations,” Hanawalt said.

During a recent morning, Hanawalt and her employees and volunteers were cooking and assembling 203 hot meals to deliver to senior citizens in Peters and surrounding area.

The township’s decision not to renew the organization’s lease on the 5,000 square feet it occupies in the township fire department building stems from the need of the fire department for additional space for training, offices and bedrooms. Peters officials said it made more financial sense not to renew the organization’s lease and not spend tax money on a new facility.

Meals on Wheels pays the township $4,000 a month in rent and also finances all inside maintenance and repairs on its space.

Deputy Fire Chief Michael McLaughlin declined to comment on the matter and referred queries to Michael Silvestri, township manager.

“The firefighters train on a weekly basis,” Silvestri said in an email. “Much of their in-house training occurs at the station, sometimes in the garage, sometimes outdoors and also in the upper floor meeting/lounge area for classroom training.

“In addition, there are joint trainings at other locations, such as with North Strabane and other fire departments. Some trainings have to occur off site due to specific space needs.”

“We are both currently reviewing options and needs to see if there are other solutions,” Silvestri’s email said.

The township has offered Meals on Wheels an $18,000 contribution if it moves before the lease expires. Hanawalt said the township has offered to help it apply for grants to ease the financial burden of relocating.

But, it’s just not the cost of moving to another location to consider, Hanawalt said. When it moved to its present location, Meals on Wheels spent $560,000 to create kitchen space.

And Hanawalt said with proper scheduling, she would be amenable to sharing space with the fire department.

“It is a travesty to destroy this amazing kitchen,” she said.

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